The Golden Cicada:
Once upon a time, there was a man who wished for knowledge, and it was for that knowledge that he decided to start his journey. From the walls of the Labyrinth City he recede, and thousands were the shoes that he worn out on his search. On his eyes was reflected the best and the worst of that strange and mysterious world — its horrors and its beauties, its battles and its peace. And thanks to all of them, he was now known as "The Pilgrim".
With all the wisdom he earned on the road, he helped a thousand names, of which, many of them ended up becoming his friends, and at his side they marched looking for what the world had in store for them. Some of them found it, some of them found a better future, one like they've never imagined, and some others, less fortunate ended up losing themselves in their own darkness. But that's the life that they've chosen at the end of the day — he who search for lives for the blade will die for the blade, and who lives for justice will also die for it. Said is the subject that bring us here, because, you see…
"Eh… ¿Sir?"
The carriage driver's voice brought the monk back to reality. He looked around, founding himself at the entrance of the well-known city of Orario. Therefore, the poor guy observed the man with an embarrassed smile.
"Oh… sorry. I got carried away again, didn't I?"
The driver sigh and replied with resignation on his tone. "Look man, I got stuff to do. Can I get my payment before you start all over again?"
"Y-Yeah… off course," he assent while checking into his bag.
As the money changed of hands, the merchant gave his back to the stranger and tried to continue his road. The horses whinny as their legs began to move forward, but before they could get any further, the monk stepped on their way.
"Wait!"
"What? What is it now?!" the merchant yelled with visible annoyance.
"The thing is… I've never been on this city."
"Well, I never... Who would've guessed?" his eyes rolled up as he frowned.
"Yeah, I know it's unbelievable. That's why I really need your help."
Besides his tone and manners that could suggest a mind full of wisdom, the monk didn't seemed to get the irony on the driver's voice. But even so, he didn't hesitated before bowing on his presence — lowering his head and prostrating on one knee as a prayer.
"Please, would you bring me into a place where I could get a proper guidance?"
The man over the carriage looked at the monk with bewildering before turning into discontent. "Absolutely no. I brought you all the way here, I heard every single one of your dumb stories and even gave you some of my food. It's over."
"I'll pay you the double…" said opening one eye to look at him. "…and I promise to stay quiet till we get there."
The presence of money in the question gave the moment a sudden turn. The man rubbed his forehead, considering the idea for a moment as a little puppy face began to appear on the monk's face. The temptation was strong, but it was also evident that he had more than enough of his presence.
"Triple," he finally claimed. "Triple and not a single word till we get there."
The face of the stranger got pale as he heard the counter offer. Still, with the lack of options, he didn't saw another way out than besides lowering the head, gave the other cheek, and nod in agreement.
"Not a single word."
"Fine… come up then."
Showing a contempt smile, the monk jumped over the carriage and began his journey inside the massive walls of the city. As he promised, he didn't said a single word, even if those were burning on his throat as he contemplated the beauties of the places. His mind filled with the stories he heard from his captain — from the man who saw and habit that same place in all his glory. He felt lucky to be able to experience this feeling, but luckier of charging with such task as was the one assigned to him.
As they got to the surroundings of the guild, he looked around at the immensity of individuals that populated every corner — he smiled brightly at the images, on every piece of armor and clothing that they wore, on every gesture that they made when their eyes crossed, and even when he got slapped on the head by the angry merchant.
"Hey! Come back to earth!"
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I got—"
"—carried away, yes! I GET IT!" his voice echoed, even getting to surprise the poor adventurers that were passing by the carriage.
With his eyes widen, the monk took a moment to calm himself. "You should scream like that. You could hurt your…"
"Just…" the driver stopped moments before exploding. "Just give me my money, ok?"
Without losing his calm, the monk took another bag from his belongings, and with calm and grace gave it to the merchant. Just then, he looked back at the world that surrounded, and sigh for its beauty.
"You know? I've heard a ton of stories about this place, but just this view is better than all of them. This reminds me of another sto—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he turned around and noticed the absence of both the carriage and the man who rode it. And so, he looked around, getting to notice their distant silhouettes, now galloping in the opposite direction where they came. The stranger shrugged, avoiding any negative feeling that could come from such manner.
"Huh… People from Orario are hasty. They have a busy life, I can respect that," he said to himself sketching a little smile.
It was then when, after stretching his muscles, the outlander walked straight into the guild's house. There he looked around, again, taking his time to appreciate the environment and its luxury, and then walked straight into one of the receptionist; more specifically, into an elven girl with short brown hair and green eyes.
"Good morning, sir," the woman greet with a gesture. "My name is—"
"A half-elf!" the man screeched. "We have a very few as you guys back in home. I would even say that this is my first time talking to one."
Eina looked at him with a strangeness. It surely wasn't the first time someone had refer to her in that way, but every time was an anecdote. She then noticed his strange clothing; those simple, gray cloth pieces of uniform were only found on the distant lands of south.
"I-I… can see that… you aren't from here, right?" she mumbled giving one step back, even if there was a glass separating them.
"By any means, miss," the man bowed respectfully. "My name's Taiping Gyan, but people use to call me, Cicada — for Golden Cicada."
"Golden Cicada…" she nodded skeptically. "Should I assume that's your alias, sir?"
"Or Cigarra de Oro, if you like."
Eina flickered a couple times at the sound of that. "Is that… Spanish? You're definitely not from here. What are you doing in Orario?"
Cicada laughed at the question. "Well, I need to keep that on secret. However, I can tell you that I won't stay longer than a couple of weeks. That being said, would it be a bother if I ask you for directions?"
The girl hesitated at first. She nervously tapped the table with her fingertips while thinking. The innocent look on the man's face made her feel, somehow a feeling of sympathy for him — it was like seeing a guy on his 20's with the face of a 5 years old. But it was that same reason that made her distrust of him.
"I would gladly provide you with some addresses, Mr. Cicada. However, before I give any kind of help to you, I'm gonna need you to complete some formalities."
On a quick manner, the elven girl went straight under her desk and brought a 200 pages long document upon the monk. The table shook as the huge pile of paper fell over it. After this, Eina raised the little window in front of her and offered the pile to the young man.
"Is that all?" Cicada asked calmly.
"Yes. Once you finish with it, we'll be able to…"
Before Eina could even finish her phrase, the man's eye went through the document with a speed worthy of lightning. He read every single clause and point over it while filling all the fields with his right hand. The girl could barely believe what her eyes were seeing — her glasses tarnished and her face locked into a blank expression. At the speed of five pages per second, he had completed a task meant to last hours in less than a minute.
"Everything's in order, ma'am," the adventurer claimed, letting the smoking pencil over the table.
Eina couldn't reply to her statement. Instead, she limited to look over the huge pile of paper with a death expression on her eyes, and sigh tiredly. "I should've supposed this… There goes my weekend."
"All right then," he continued with his smile intact. "Now, if isn't much of a bother, where can I read the records of the previous years? I really need to make a map of—"
"No," Eina stopped him. "I still need to take care of all this paperwork, sir… which will take me DAYS," the girl insisted with the pain reflecting on her eyes.
"E-Excuse me?" his smile faded a little.
"The guild and its affiliates are closed to anyone without an adventurer license. If you really want us to provide you with that information, you'll need to wait until your temporary license is processed."
"But… how long is gonna take? What will I do if—"
"I'm sorry Mr. Cicada, this reception is just for people affiliated with the guild. For more of our services I encourage you to get an adventurer license as soon as possible."
"But I just sign in!"
"Thank you, come again!"
"B—"
"Thank you, come again!"
Said this, Eina turned around and quickly walked away from the window. She turned around the corner of desks and disappeared into one of the doors, letting the poor monk all alone. Cicada couldn't do anything but stare at the scene that happened in front of his eyes — he was the speechless one now. And so, after a couple of minutes, he breathed deeply and let his preoccupations go with a long sigh.
"Bureaucrats… No matter the place, they're all the same."
Without anything more to do or say, Cicada turned around and faced the exit. However, little he knew that he was being watched from afar. On the opposite extreme of the room, sat over one of the tables, a white-haired young man looked strangely at his clothes. His red eyes contemplated the moment when the monk abandoned the place and, with a little hesitation by his part, decided to act.
After coming out of the guild, Cicada sat over the stairway's tread. He took a moment to appreciate the distant view, to lose himself in the view of the massive city and its intricate dimensions. And in the center, the pinnacle of that crude and violent world, the place that resembled a pillar holding the clouds and the sky.
"So that's the dungeon," he smiled once again. "Such place really seems like the home of countless stories."
"Excuse me, sir…"
A gentle voice called the attention of the monk. On a slow manner, he turned around to find the silhouette of a young warrior. His clothes were humble, but his attitude resembled more than what the eye could see. And the bright of those eyes, that red spark that came from his soul, reflected more than just enthusiasm.
"By any means… are you a member of the Buda Familia?" his voice was decided, but there was shyness on its tone.
Cicada giggled at the accusation. "What gave me away? Besides the uniform, off course."
"Actually, it was the uniform," he let out a nervous giggle. "Would you mind if I—"
Before he could finish, the monk jumped from his seat and stepped right next to the boy. His surprise was immediate, as a blink brought by the hand of the man standing in front of his eyes. Cicada looked at him up and down, don't really realizing how uncomfortable this behavior made him feel.
"You're very young, but you have a strong body. That's very particular," he offered his right hand as a greet. "Taiping Gyan, Golden Cicada."
"Eh… Bell Cranel, Little Rookie" the boy replied, taking his grip with hesitation.
"Bell? You mean, like campana?" the man laughed.
"C-Campana?
"You probably don't get it, but it's a silly joke of… Little Rookie…" he repeated for himself. "Hey, that's actually a pretty cool alias."
Bell took one step back to regain his personal space. "Oh… eh… thank you. People usually find it funny or—"
"Funny? My boy, I've seen aliases way goofier than that. Little Rookie sounds like… like a man that's only starting his journey — a warrior within! A true best that just needs a little push to come out."
As he talked, Cicada started to walk closer and closer to the edge of the stairway, almost falling from it before speaking the last part of his monologue. Witnessing this, Bell slightly doubted the credibility of his words, but the passional attitude on the man made him sketch a little smile.
"That sounded way cooler than what actually is, Mr. Gyan."
"Oh, please, call me just Cicada," he replied with a hint of seriousness on his tone. "I prefer to be called that before using my actual name. Is… a little personal."
"I-I see!" Bell bowed as a sign of apology.
"And don't bow before me!" the monk yelled, quickly bowing with his head almost hitting the floor. "I should be the one who bows before you! It's tradition!"
"I-I'M SORRY!" he screamed back, now standing straight as a table.
After a moment, Cicada slowly raised his head. He looked into the boy's eyes, noticing he was still looking at front to avoid eye contact. Witnessing that gesture, he couldn't avoid widening his smile, touched by that demonstration of respect.
"You're of the good ones, boy," he mumbled while getting up. "I don't usually find people with such manners — I really respect that in a man."
A little red blush appeared on Bell's cheeks. He returned the smile, clearly flustered by those words. "Thank you, Mr. Cicada. I've heard some of the stories of your Familia. We don't usually heard much of them here but, they're quite moving."
The monk raised his eyebrow. "Another enthusiast of stories I see. The same could be said of this humble vassal of faith," he gently tapped his shoulder. "Should I assume that as the reason you came to talk to me? Because that would make me very happy."
Bell's eye lit up with that answer. "I-I would love to heard some of your stories, if isn't much to ask."
"Oh man… I forgot when was the last time someone actually ask me to heard some of my stories. People usually think I'm just making things up…"
The idea of sharing the adventures of his people delighted the stranger. On his mind, he was already gathering a good bunch of his favorites, all themed with great knowledge and wisdom that he impatient to explain to the white-haired boy. However, before he could even start to relate, an idea born from his mind.
"But…" he sigh, raising his voice. "I have a little problem in my hands, Mr. Cranel."
"A problem?" the boy tilted his head to the side.
"Yes… A very sad one, actually. You see, I've been sent to this city to accomplish a very special mission for my captain — an adventure of countless dangers and mysteries. But here I'm just a stranger… someone who doesn't even know where he's standing," he sigh faking an exaggerated sad expression. "Oh! if only there was a brave and powerful warrior that could guide me around this unknown city."
Beside his gentle nature, Bells wasn't an idiot — he knew very well what the monk had in mind. "Well… I'm not an expert by any means. I've been living here for less than a year."
"That's less than a year more than me," he replied with a genuine smile. "How about this: you, my recent new friend, will help me on my mission and in exchange, I'll tell you every little story I've heard from my Familia, AND BESIDES THAT…" he made a dramatical pause. "…I'll hear every single one of yours. Sounds fair?"
Bell's eyes bright at the counter offer. It was tempting, very much for a guy like him. But he knew very well the dangers of trusting stranger in a place like Orario — has had great successes, but also risked the lives of their friends by doing it. Even if Cicada hadn't shown any sign of danger, how to trust someone who came from so far away? Thinking it that way, the answer of most would be evident… but…
"I'll accept…" it was Bell Cranel who we're talking of. "…but you need to tell me what's so important that made you came to Orario."
Cicada smirk at the change of tone. "You're no fool, boy. You want to know? Then you'll know… but with two conditions."
"I'm hearing."
The monk stood straight at him, offered a friendly yet prideful expression and changed his tone to a full serious one. "First, you can't, BY ANY MEANS, tell anyone. And second… I need you to show me somewhere to sleep."
"Eh… somewhere to sleep?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah… and it would be even better if it could be an affordable place. Let's just say I'm short of funds," a drop of sweat fell from his cheek with that last sentence.
The rabbit boy looked at him a little dislocated, but eventually, he let out a small chuckle and nodded. "Fine, I'll help you."
"YES! I mean… I'll be a pleasure to have you in this humble empress of mine," he corrected, trying to hide his emotion.
His new friend placed a hand over his mouth to avoid the burst of laugh that he had provoke. And after that, both of them shook hands as an agreement of their new deal, and headed towards the settled place. However, not before letting the son of the Buda's Familia complete his part. Cicada looked at the horizon, pointing directly at the lands of south, and with a passional voice, began to speak:
Once upon a time, there was a person. Like him were many, and many were the ones in charge of spreading peace over their land — all of them strong, wise and brave. But their leader didn't look for the strong ones, didn't called the wise, nor stopped to think on the brave ones. He, the one known as The Pilgrim, chose The Golden Cicada for the job. His was the task now, the one that brought him into the city of heroes, the place where the strong, the wise and the brave abound, and where a very special person is waiting to be found.
And here my friend… is where our story begins.